About the Magazine
#HootyHoo is a publication
of the Stetson University
Athletic Department. All rights
reserved.
Designed
and
edited by the Stetson Athletic
Communications office, and
Keith Allen. Photography by
Jim Hogue, David Williams,
PhotosInMotion.net, Vaughn
Wilson, Stetson University,
and Stetson Athletics. Printed
by Independent Printing.

It was quite a freshman season for
Stetson University lacrosse player Paige
Levesque in 2013. After recovering from
ACL surgery and missing the entire fall
season, the attacker recorded 17 goals
and four assists en route to Atlantic Sun
Conference All-Freshman Team and AllTournament Team honors.
However, at the same time Levesque
was having success on the field, she was
battling health issues off the field.
Beginning before she arrived on
campus and continuing throughout the
year, Levesque’s weight was fluctuating
and she was always tired. She didn’t
know why any of it was happening until
she went to the doctor and found out she
had Hashimoto’s disease, which causes
a reduced level of thyroid function. That,
in turn, meant that she wasn’t producing
enough hormones to regulate her body.
“It was difficult,” Levesque said of her
freshman year. “It was like everything was
happening at once. I was always tired,
and I felt out of it.”
When her condition had not improved
after the spring season, Levesque saw a
new doctor, who gave her an even-more
distressing diagnosis.
“When they first told me ‘you have
cancer,’ I looked at my mom and said, ‘you
knew that was going to happen.’”

#HootyHoo

She felt that everything over the
course of that year was so difficult for
her, so why would this diagnosis be any
different?
After letting it sink in for a while,
Levesque called Stetson head coach
Nicole Moore and assistant coach Brittany
Dipper to break the news.
“Calling the coaches was one of the
most difficult things I had to do during
this whole experience,” Levesque said.
However, just as they had been throughout
her freshman year, the Hatter coaches
continued to be extremely supportive.
“Knowing that support system was there
was really helpful. It drove me to fight.”
And fight she did. Levesque had her
thyroid gland removed on June 17. Two
weeks later, she had treatment that killed
off much of the cancer, but it also made her
very sick. Two weeks after that, she went
in for a full body scan, which showed a
few spots of cancer remained in her neck.
The continued treatment eventually killed
those off.
All the while, Levesque’s coaches
and teammates were providing constant
support. “There were 20 of us on the team,
so I was getting 19 texts repeatedly during
the summer,” Levesque said. “They would
ask ‘How are you?’ and would let me know
they were thinking about me.

4

“Coach Moore sent pictures of little
quotes almost every day,” Levesque
added. They said things like ‘keep your
head up’ and ‘stay strong.’”
Two months into her sophomore
year, Levesque went in for blood work
and was told that she was cancer-free. In
that moment, as you would expect, she
couldn’t have been more excited.
“I was like ‘Yeah! I beat this!’ Everyone
was so excited, but then it was like, I’m
cancer-free; now I should be able to do
anything.”
Now that Levesque has been given a
clean bill of health, she isn’t taking anything
for granted. Her biggest challenge is to
continue to get healthy and into the shape
she wants to be in for the start of the 2014
lacrosse season.
Levesque knows that both individually
and as a team, this upcoming season can
be even better than last, and she credits
her team with helping her to be a part of it.
“I wouldn’t be this far along in
the healing process if it wasn’t for this
program,” she said. “Their support has
been instrumental, and getting back to
help this team has been a driving force for
me to get better.”

January, 2014

Palm Trees Planted at Patricia Wilson Field

One of the most beautiful softball
facilities in the nation just got a little prettier.
This past summer, 18 new palm
trees were added beyond the outfield
fence at Patricia Wilson Field, the home
of the Stetson University softball team.
The additions were partially funded by
donations to the program and bring
another charming component to the
beautiful landscaping at the facility.
The Hatters have called Patricia
Wilson Field home since the 2003 season
and have compiled an all-time record of
303-135 (.692) over their 11 seasons. Last
year, Stetson went 25-11 at home and hit a
record 32 home runs.

#HootyHoo

The care and dedication shown
by head coach Frank Griffin, head
maintenance technician Steve Barnard,
and former head maintenance technician
George Marshall, as well as associate
head coach Vanessa Bataille and assistant
coach J.J. Payette, in maintaining Patricia
Wilson Field never goes unnoticed by the
Hatters, their fans or visiting fans.
In addition, Sports Turf Managers
Association (STMA), the pre-eminent
professional sports turf organization in
the nation, has recognized Patricia Wilson
Field with National College Softball Field
of the Year awards in 2007, 2008, 2009
and 2011. The National Fastpitch Coaches

5

Association (NFCA) has also named the
facility its Field of the Year in 2004 and
2007.

January, 2014

Women’s Tennis Season Preview
2014 Schedule

Senior Diana Bukajeva

With the regular season just weeks
away, the Stetson women’s tennis team is
ready to take on the challenges that 2014
will have in store for them. After compiling
an 11-10 overall record and a 5-3 mark in
the A-Sun, the Hatters went all the way to
the conference semifinals in 2013 before
bowing out to ETSU.
Stetson enters this year led by a trio
of seniors in Lindsey Cable, MayaBlue
Stauffer-MacDowell and 2013 A-Sun
All-Conference Second Team member
Diana Bukajeva, but also welcomes four
freshmen and a sophomore transfer in
Cari Berry.
“We are looking forward to seeing them
in competition,” said Stetson Director
of Tennis Pierre Pilote. “I think Diana’s
leadership as captain is going to help
a lot, and as a coach you know that the
seniors’ careers are going to come to an
end, which is sad, but I am really going to
try and appreciate every moment that they
are on the court.”
Stetson’s freshman quartet comprises
Isabella Fernandez (Caracas, Venezuela),
Marta Gonzalez (Vigo, Spain), Brittany
Hill (Chapel Hill, N.C.), and Carolina
Meregalli (Milan, Italy). They will join last
year’s A-Sun All-Freshman team members
Eveline Lepinay and Andrea Crespo to
form a talented crop of underclassmen.
Two integral parts of the 2013 team that
have seen their four-year careers come

#HootyHoo

to a close include Sara Lazarevic and Jen
Miller, who last season earned Second
Team All-Conference Honors.
“It is of course big when you lose two
integral parts of the team, but we recruited
four freshmen that are working extremely
hard and are highly motivated,” Pilote
explained. “We will have 13 young women
on our team with the addition of Cari Berry
in January, so we have a very deep squad.”
Stetson wrapped up a successful fall
campaign following trips to the College of
Charleston Invitational (Sept. 20 – 22), the
Wake Forest Invite (Sept. 27 – 29), Florida
State’s Bedford Cup (Oct. 10 – 13), and
the Georgia Southern Invite (Oct. 25 – 27).
“The fall went well, and we had some
players that did well,” said Pilote. “The
team had good results in each of the
tournaments, and we learned about our
new freshmen. I think they also learned
about the level of Division I and what they
are going to be competing against in the
spring.”
With more than a dozen players vying
for a position in the starting lineup, the
fall slate prepared Pilote’s team for a
challenging 2014 schedule, which pits
them against 24th-ranked Florida State
right out of the gate.
“The spring schedule is strong, and
we start with a team that is 24th in the
country,” Pilote said of FSU. “But again
with the deep squad that we have, we are

looking for players to elevate their level of
play and seize that opportunity.”
After taking on the Seminoles and
Florida A&M in Tallahassee (Jan. 19), the
Hatters hit the road for a match at Georgia
Southern (Jan. 25) before hosting their
home opener against South Alabama,
Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Mandy Stoll Tennis
Center.
“This group should have an excellent
chance of making the (A-Sun) final and
winning the conference because of their
depth,” Pilote said. “But it is really up to
our athletes to elevate their game to make
that happen.”
The 2014 A-Sun Tournament will be
held April 18-20, in Jacksonville.

January, 2014

Men’s Tennis Season Preview
2014 Schedule

Senior Hans Adrian Riseng

Fresh off their fall schedule, the Stetson
men’s tennis team is now preparing for
the 2014 regular season, which begins
Saturday, Jan. 11, with a match at
Georgia Tech. The Hatters return a lump
sum of components to their 2013 squad,
which saw them compile a 15-4 overall
record and a 6-2 mark in the Atlantic Sun
Conference.
“The beauty of our team is that anybody
can pretty much be No. 1, so we expect
each and every one to fight day in and day
out so they can move up in the lineup,”
said associate head coach Christophe
Noblet.
The Hatters completed a successful fall
slate with appearances at the Southern
Collegiate in Athens, Ga., as well as the
Bedford Cup in Tallahassee. The team also
competed in the Wake Forest Invitational
and the ITF Future USA-F30, before
returning to DeLand to train and prepare
for what 2014 has in store for them.
“The objective for the fall was for all
of our guys to play as many matches
as possible, and that’s exactly what we
achieved,” Noblet explained. “We played
four fall tournaments where each player
basically had the chance to play two or
three matches and the opportunity to make
adjustments in their style.”
Heading into the new year, Noblet’s
hopes are high. With seven of the nine
team members returning from a year ago

#HootyHoo

and freshman Graham Ball (Baie-D’Urfe,
Quebec ) sprinkled into the mix, there’s no
reason to think that this team can’t surpass
last year’s success.
“We have the skill set to be successful
during the spring, and we are looking
forward to having the chance to actually
demonstrate that,” Noblet said.
A few of those key returners include
three A-Sun All-Freshman Team members
in Cahit Kapukiran, Laurynas Antropikas
and Simon Julin, who was named the
conference’s Freshman of the Year.
“I think what is exciting about having
them back is they already know what to
expect. They went through one season,
and they know how challenging it is,”
said Noblet about the talented corps of
returners.
One familiar face that won’t be on the
court this season is Didrik Berg, who
completed his four-year Stetson career
in 2013, being named to the A-Sun AllConference Second Team, with Julin as
his doubles partner.
“Didrik was obviously a great player,
but he was also a great leader as a senior
captain,” Noblet said. “We will miss that,
but I think Hans Adrian (Riseng) has
stepped up pretty well to that leadership
role this year as our only senior.”
Following their matchup with the Yellow
Jackets in Atlanta, the Hatters return home
for an alumni match, before heading back

on the road to compete in the ITF Future
USA-F4 (Jan. 24-26) in Palm Coast, Fla.
Stetson will have their official 2014 home
opener Feb. 2 vs. Georgia Southern at the
Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
“Right now, we have three ranked teams
on the schedule, but we should have five or
six because three are not ranked right now
but could be eventually,” Noblet explained
of his team’s 2014 slate. “If we can face
and embrace that challenge, we will be
ready for the conference tournament.”
The Hatters host No. 61 Georgia State
Feb. 28 and No. 71 North Florida March
22. They will take on No. 67 ETSU on the
road March 15 in Johnson City, Tenn. This
year’s A-Sun Championship is scheduled
for April 18-20 in Jacksonville.

January, 2014

The Louisiana Connection

Junior
Kentwan Smith
When Stetson men’s basketball head
coach Corey Williams was hired to lead
the Hatters this past June, the first thing he
did was assemble his coaching staff. And
one of the first things the new staff was
charged with, including longtime collegiate
coach Nikita Johnson, was to identify
players who would help bolster the Hatters’
roster for the rapidly approaching season.
Johnson immediately set his sights on
two players that would be a perfect fit.
“Raymone and Kentwan were the first
two guys that I thought about bringing in,”
he said.
Raymone Andrews and Kentwan
Smith were teammates at LouisianaLafayette during the 2011-12 season. The
pair helped lead the Ragin’ Cajuns to their
highest win total in nine years. Among
the Lafayette coaches tutoring Andrews
and Smith during the season was - you
guessed it - Nikita Johnson.
Having coached at LSU (2004-07)
and Louisiana Tech (2007-10) before
joining the Ragin’ Cajuns staff, Johnson
said he was well aware of Andrews’ talents
on the court before the two joined up in
Lafayette. The point guard’s high school
skills were well-known across the state,
but it was what Johnson learned about
Andrews during his time coaching him
that made him one of the first things on his
mind after getting to Stetson.
“I knew Raymone was a tremendous
young man who always took care of his
academics,” Johnson said.
“He was
always a great leader, very focused, and
an extremely hard worker. He was exactly

#HootyHoo

Senior
Raymone Andrews
Assistant coach
Nikita Johnson

the type of student-athlete we wanted in
our program here at Stetson.”
Johnson shared a similar sentiment
about Smith. “Kentwan is really a great
young man. He’s extremely focused, he’s
concerned about his academics, he wants
to be a good player, and he is a talented
basketball player.”
Johnson had been around Smith
since he played high school basketball in
the Bahamas. He recruited him out of high
school in Mississippi, and was an assistant
coach at Louisiana-Lafayette for Smith’s
one season with the Ragin’ Cajuns.
“It definitely helped that we were all
familiar with each other,” Johnson said of
being able to get Andrews and Smith to join

8

the Stetson program as upperclassmen.
“Knowing each other, and the trust that
they had in me, made us realize that this
was a great opportunity.”
The comfortable nature of knowing
one of their assistant coaches well certainly
helped, but it was the friendship between
Andrews and Smith that ultimately led to
their decision to come to Stetson.
“When Coach Johnson reached out to
me, we talked about both Kentwan and I
coming here,” Andrews said. “It helped me
out knowing someone else that was going
to be here.”
“We kind of made the decision
together to come here,” Smith added.
“I hosted Kentwan on his recruiting visit
to Lafayette, so we had a good bond from
the beginning,” Andrews remembered.
“That continued to grow once he came to
school, and once we started practicing and
playing together.”
After spending one season on the
same team, all three went their separate
ways. Smith transferred to Otero Junior
College in Colorado for a season, Andrews
spent a year at Southeastern Louisiana
and earned his bachelor’s degree, and
Johnson took a season off from coaching.
Since coming back together as integral
parts of the Stetson men’s basketball
program in Williams’ first season at the
helm, the bond between them has grown
even more.
“We’ve become even closer since
we’ve gotten here,” Smith said of his
relationships with Andrews and Johnson
at Stetson.

January, 2014

Myeisha Hall Gives Stetson a Midseason Boost
Junior
Myeisha Hall

No one can blame Myeisha Hall for
being a bit nervous.
It had been nearly 12 full months since
the Stetson University junior had laced
up her sneakers and put on a uniform.
After transferring to Stetson in January
and sitting out the NCAA-mandated two
semesters, Hall made her Hatter debut on
Dec. 17 and made an immediate impact in
the Hatters’ 83-81 win over Charlotte at the
Edmunds Center.
“It felt good to be playing again, but
I was extremely nervous,” Hall said about
her debut. “It was my first official game in
a year.”
“I don’t think we would have won (that)
game without her,” Stetson head coach
Lynn Bria said. “Myeisha just came in and
made some big plays for us.”
A native of West Palm Beach, Fla.,
Hall was the Florida Class 5A Player of
the Year in 2010-11 for Palm Beach Lakes
High School and was a highly sought-after
recruit. Stetson was among the many
teams expressing interest in Hall, but
the McDonald’s All-American finalist had
already made one key decision.
“I turned down every school in Florida,
because I had it in my mind that I wanted
to go out of state,” Hall said.

#HootyHoo

Hall also wanted to go somewhere
where she could play right away and
somewhere with family nearby, so she
selected Old Dominion University in
Norfolk, Va.
Her freshman year at ODU had its
ups and downs, but her performance was
strong enough to land her on the Colonial
Athletic Association all-tournament team.
During her sophomore year, Hall had
a change of heart about playing out-ofstate and decided she wanted to be closer
to her family in Florida. When Bria learned
of Hall’s release from ODU, she was quick
to make contact.
“When we heard she wanted to
leave, we called Old Dominion and got
the release,” Bria said. “At that point,
we called her on the phone and asked if
there was any interest, and immediately
there was. She wanted to be closer
to her family, and she knew about our
system, so it was an all-around good fit.”
Stetson was a good fit for Hall, too, as
she wanted to attend a small school where
she could focus on her academics.
After transferring in midyear, Hall
said her new Hatter teammates made her
feel welcome immediately. She started
practicing with the team and helped

9

them prepare for what would become a
conference championship season.
“That was my first time experiencing
anything like that,” Hall said about the
team capturing the A-Sun title. “It felt good
to be a part of a winning program.”
The first part of this season was
filled with anticipation for Hall as she
looked forward to getting back on the
court and competing with her teammates.
Despite the Hatters having a young and
inexperienced squad, Hall says she has
enjoyed seeing the results so far.
“I think we are playing well together,”
Hall said. “We really share the ball, and
nobody is selfish. We play as a team.”
While Hall is certainly excited to be
back playing, her coach is equally excited
to have her join the mix.
“She brings so much to our team,”
Bria said. “Defensively she is good, she
rebounds the ball, and she hits shots. She
really adds another dimension to our team.
It is just a matter of getting her into the flow.
It just takes some time and her playing
games with us, but I think it is going to get
better every game.”
“If there is a rebound, or we need help
scoring, or playing defense, I just want to
help wherever I can,” Hall said.

Longtime Stetson baseball head
coach Pete Dunn, along with six others,
will be inducted into the American Baseball
Coaches Association Hall of Fame at the
2014 ABCA Hall of Fame/Coach of the
Year Banquet sponsored by Diamond on
Friday, Jan. 3, in Dallas, Texas.
The ceremony will take place at the
Hilton Anatole. The seven coaches
being inducted are Pete Dunn of
Stetson University, Tink Larson
of Waseca High School,
Jack Leggett of Clemson
University, Paul Mainieri of
Louisiana State University,
Jim O’Brien of L.A. Harbor
College, Augie Schmidt IV of
Carthage College, and Jimmie
Wasem of Northwest Missouri
State University.
“It’s a tremendous honor
and probably the highest honor that a
college coach can have conferred upon
him,” said Dunn. “It’s a result of being at an
institution, the same institution in my case,
that supports athletics in general and the
baseball program in particular.
“I’ve always tried hard to surround
myself with good people, including

assistant coaches and student-athletes.
I’ve been very fortunate to have an
administration that believes in the
program. The construction of Melching
Field, for example, is a testament to the
commitment of both the university and the
community of DeLand to this program.”
Set to begin his 35th season as head
coach at Stetson, Dunn ranks eighth
among active NCAA Division I
coaches with 1,228 victories. He
has led the Hatters to 16 NCAA
post-season appearances
and eight conference
championships, and has
been named conference
coach of the year six times.
“You look at the people
already inducted in the Hall of
Fame, and to be mentioned
in the same breath as some
of those guys is pretty amazing,” said
Dunn. “Coach (Ron) Fraser (of Miami),
Mike Martin (Florida State), and guys like
that here in the state of Florida that I’ve
gotten to compete against and look up
to, especially Coach Fraser. He took me
under his wing when I was a young coach.
Coach Fraser made a commitment early

#HootyHoo 12

on to play us regularly home - and home
when he really didn’t have to. He was a big
help in getting me to where I’m at now.
“My family and I are looking forward
to getting out to Dallas and going to the
ceremony.”

Stetson Cheer
Razzmatazz Razzmatazz
Hatter Hooty Hoo
We are STETSON
Who the heck are you?
Hullaballoo Hat Knuckle
Flim flam flop
We are STETSON
And we can’t be TOPPED

January, 2014

Tip of the Hat: Graham Breaks Record and Payne Honored
Stetson men’s basketball senior
Aaron Graham has etched his name into
the Hatters record books multiple times
this season. With his second 3-pointer
against UNC Greensboro on Nov. 27,
Graham broke the Stetson all-time
record for 3-pointers in a career with
his 181st. The senior guard recorded
two of the best single-season 3-point
performances in school history when he
tallied 68 as a sophomore (2nd) and 66
as a junior (3rd). With 22 makes from
beyond the arc this season, Graham
has upped his career total to 188.
Graham added to his milestone
march in the Hatters’ home-opener
against Davidson on Nov. 30. Scoring
15 points against the Wildcats, he
eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his
career at Stetson. Graham became
the 32nd player in program history to
hit the century mark and the first since
A.J. Smith achieved the feat from 2006
to 2010.

Senior
Aaron Graham

When the Pioneer Football League
named its major award-winners for the 2013
season on Dec. 2, the Stetson Hatters were
represented in the select group of honorees
by Donald Payne. A redshirt freshman
defensive back from Fayetteville, Ga.,
Payne was named the league’s Defensive
Freshman of the Year. Payne, a three-time
PFL Defensive Player of the Week during
the season, also earned All-PFL First Team
honors.
Payne finished the year with a teamhigh 113 tackles, including 71 solo stops.
He tied for most overall tackles in the PFL,
and led the league in solo stops. He ranked
second in the PFL with 16 tackles for losses
of 86 yards including 4.5 sacks, which
tied for 16th in the league. He forced two
fumbles and recovered three, had a pair
of interceptions, and was credited with 12
pass breakups. He ranked third in the PFL
in passes defended.
Joining Payne with PFL all-conference
honors were Chris Atkins, Mike Yonker,
Davion Belk and James LaGamma.

Meet Your Future Hatters: Stetson’s 2013-14 Fall Signees
Baseball (8)
Austin Hale (Maitland, Fla.)
Hale, a 6-0 catcher, was ranked as the
No. 500 recruit nationally and the No. 85
catcher by Perfect Game. He batted .270
with five doubles, one home run and 15
RBI in 27 games as a junior at Trinity Prep,
and he did not commit an error in over 150
chances behind the plate.
Garrett Hall (DeLand, Fla.)
Hall, a 6-1 infielder, earned first-team allcounty honors as a junior after batting
.378 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 23
games for DeLand High School. He also
posted a .417 on-base percentage and
.506 slugging percentage.

after helping lead Gainesville High to a
state regional quarterfinal appearance.
He posted a 3-2 record with a 3.24 ERA,
striking out 45 batters in 49.2 innings. At
the plate, he batted .328 with four doubles,
one triple and nine RBI playing as a first
baseman and third baseman.
Brooks Wilson (Lakeland, Fla.)
Wilson, a 6-2 right-handed pitcher and
infielder, was named second-team allcounty as a junior at Lakeland Christian
after hitting .333 at the plate and posting a
1.68 earned run average on the mound. He
struck out 58 batters, and helped lead LCS
to three straight district championships.

Men’s Basketball (4)

Seddon Henry (Lake Wales, Fla.)
Henry, a 5-9 infielder, batted .350 as a
junior. He is a member of the National
Honor Society and a member of the Florida
Baseball Academy 18U team.
Ben Onyshko (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Onyshko, a 6-2 left-handed pitcher, is one
of the premier prep pitchers in Canada.
He is currently a member of the Canadian
Junior National Team, and toured the
United States, Australia and Taiwan during
the summer and fall of 2013. He is ranked
as the No. 12 prospect in Canada for the
2014 MLB Draft by the Canadian Baseball
Network.
Cory Reid (Port St. Lucie, Fla.)
Reid, a 6-2 outfielder, will transfer to
Stetson from the State College of Florida
in Bradenton. He spent the 2012 and 2013
seasons playing for the Florida Gators, and
was named to the SEC Academic Honor
Roll both years. He appeared in 32 games
as a redshirt freshman in 2013, batting
.275 with one double and four RBI. Reid
is a 2011 graduate of Port St. Lucie High.
Shelton Schimming (DeLand, Fla.)
Schimming, a 6-1 outfielder, was ranked
as the No. 474 recruit nationally and No.
89 outfielder by Perfect Game. He batted
.299 as a junior at DeLand High with six
doubles, one triple, 18 runs scored and
nine stolen bases in 24 games. He also
owned a .419 on-base percentage.
Will Whitlock (Gainesville, Fla.)
Whitlock, a 6-4 right-handed pitcher, was
named second-team all-area as a junior

Men’s Golf (1)

Chase Levesque (Plant City, Fla.)
Chase Levesque is a senior at Durant
High School in Plant City, Fla., where he
has lettered as a member of the golf team
for four years, including serving as the
team captain this year. He has twice been
named Player of the Year and, in 2011, he
was a first-team All-County selection by
both The Tampa Tribune and Tampa Bay
Times.

Men’s Tennis (1)

Jonathan Joseph (Orlando, Fla.)
Joseph, a 6-5 wingman, led Orlando
Christian Preparatory School to the Florida
2A State Championship as a junior in
2012-13, and the team is the favorite for
the upcoming 2013-14 season.
Grant Lozoya (Westlake, Calif.)
Lozoya attended Westlake High School
before spending a postgraduate season at
The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.
The 6-2 shooting guard led Westlake to a
28-6 record as a senior in 2012-13 while
earning All-State, All-League, and AllCounty honors.
Divine Myles (Mobile, Ala.)
Myles, a 5-10 point guard, was named
Alabama Class 6A All-State last season as
a junior after leading Blount High School to
the state finals with 10 assists per game.
Wyatt Sikora (Key Largo, Fla.)
Sikora, a 6-10 forward and brother of
current Hatter junior Kyle Sikora, played
high school ball at Florida Christian School
in Miami. An All-Dade County selection by
The Miami Herald, Sikora averaged 14
points, nine rebounds, and three blocks as
a junior in 2012-13.

#HootyHoo 16

Graham Ball (Quebec, Canada)
Ball has been ranked as high as sixth in
Canada, and was a finalist in both the
Provincial Selections Tournament and the
Provincial Championship in recent years.
With a 22-8 singles record and a 7-2
double mark in 2013, Ball will add talent
and depth to the Stetson lineup.

Softball (3)

Chelsea Hostetler (Dayton, Texas)
Hostetler, a 5-5 right-handed pitcher
and utility player, earned first-team alldistrict honors for Dayton High School
last season. She hit five home runs for
the Lady Broncos, and was named team
MVP. Hostetler also played travel ball with
the Houston Power U18 squad, where she
was 9-4 with a 2.11 ERA. She struck out
87 batters while pitching 108 innings.

January, 2014

Meet Your Future Hatters: Stetson’s 2013-14 Fall Signees
Amanda Peck (Wellington, Fla.)
Peck, a 5-6 switch-hitting outfielder, was
named a first-team all-conference selection
and a second-team all-county and allarea performer at Wellington High School
last season. As a freshman, she helped
lead her team to a district and regional
championship and her school’s first-ever
appearance in the state tournament, and
she earned second-team all-conference
recognition.

Women’s Basketball (5)

Women’s Golf (2)

Jasmin Vasquez (Houston, Texas)
Vasquez, a 5-7 left-handed hitting
outfielder, was named first-team AllGreater Houston and first-team all-district
as a junior at Bellaire High School.
She helped lead her team to a district
championship and the regional semifinals.

Keevana Edwards (Atlanta, Ga.)
Edwards, a 5-11 wing/forward, was named
to the all-region team last season, and
helped lead Wesleyan School to its sixth
consecutive Georgia State Championship.
She averaged 10 points and six rebounds
a game, and was selected to play in the
junior all-star game. This year, she earned
preseason all-county honors as a senior.

Paige Kemp (Essex, England)
An accomplished all-round athlete who
has participated in multiple sports in high
school, Kemp was captain of the Essex
girls’ team in 2012, eventually leading
the squad to capture the English National
Championship. She also finished as
runner-up at both the East of England
Ladies Championships and U18s Scottish
Girls Invitational. Kemp set a course record
at the East Herts Golf Club while playing in
the East of England U18s.

Volleyball/Sand Volleyball (2)

Jessica Armstrong (Jupiter, Fla.)
Armstrong, a 6-3 middle blocker and
outside hitter, helped lead The Benjamin
School to a 23-3 record and its third straight
district championship this past fall. She
recorded 544 kills, 296 digs, 129 blocks,
and 148 aces in her career, earning firstteam all-area honors as a junior from both
the Sun Sentinel and The Palm Beach
Post. Armstrong also led her club Tribe 17
team to a bronze medal at the 2013 junior
olympic national tournament while playing
up an age group in the 18 American division.
Rachel Mathison (Tampa, Fla.)
Mathison, a 6-0 outside hitter, recorded
657 kills, 446 digs, 68 blocks and 49 aces
during her career at George Steinbrenner
High School. She was a first-team twoteam all-conference selection and, as a
senior, helped lead her team to a regional
championship and the Florida Class 7A
State Tournament. In USA Beach Volleyball
events, Mathison placed second at the
2012 East End Volleyball tournament and
third at the 2013 Sunshine State Outdoor
Volleyball Association tournament.

Lashai Geeter (Detroit, Mich.)
Geeter, a 5-11 wing player, helped lead MLK
Senior High School to back-to-back Detroit
Public School League Championships. As
a junior, she averaged 15 points and eight
rebounds a game, helping lead her team to
a 21-1 record, a No. 2 ranking in the state
of Michigan, a regional championship,
and the quarterfinals of the Class A State
tournament.
Brittany Jenkins-Murray (Falls Church, Va.)
Jenkins-Murray, a 6-3 forward and LaSalle
University transfer, helped lead Riverdale
(Md.) High School to a 39-2 overall record
and the ESPN National High School
Invitational title.
Sarah Sagerer (Vocklabruck, Austria)
Sagerer, a 6-3 wing, helped lead Olentangy
Orange (Ohio) High School to a 26-3
record and the semifinals of the Division I
Ohio State tournament last year. This past
August, she averaged 13.7 points, 10.4
rebounds, and 3.6 blocks while playing
for her native Austria at the U18 European
Championships.
Aisha Turner (College Park, Ga.)
Turner, a 5-7 guard and Clemson University
transfer, averaged 6.7 points, 3.5 assists
and 2.6 rebounds as a freshman in 201213. She scored in double figures a total of
six times, with a season high 14 coming
against NC State in the regular-season
finale. Turner was also a McDonald’s AllAmerica Team nominee at Westlake HS.

#HootyHoo 17

Eilidh Watson (Dollar, Scotland)
Watson won the Junior Centenary trophy
four straight years, while also playing first
foursomes and second singles for the
Perth and Kinross Ladies County team.
Additionally, she reached the quarterfinals
of the U23 Match Play Championship,
losing on the final hole.

Women’s Tennis (1)

Alizee Michaud (Orlando, Fla.)
Michaud is a native of France, but calls
Orlando home, where she attends Dr.
Phillips High School. This past spring
she won the Florida Class 4A individual
state championship with an undefeated
singles season, and was named Florida
High School Player of the Year. Michaud
became just the second Dr. Phillips player
to win the state championship and just the
12th girl from the Central Florida area to
achieve the feat in the 75-year history of
the tournament.

January, 2014

STETSON HATTERS MOBILE APP
NOW AVAILABLE ON
iPHONE and ANDROID
Download the Stetson Hatters mobile app and get all the latest in Stetson Athletics in a simple,
interactive interface on your mobile device. Stay connected to the latest news, scores and
schedules, and rosters for all your favorite Hatters sports teams!
The Premium version of this app grants access to live audio of Stetson games and exclusive
on-demand video from Hatter Vision, including press conferences, player and coach interviews,
and much more!

#HootyHoo 19

January, 2014

Hatters on the Airwaves
For the 2013-14 season, the Stetson men’s and women’s
basketball games will once again be heard on the radio at WSBB
1230 AM New Smyrna Beach, 1490 AM DeLand, MyAM1230.com
and the new WSBB iPhone and Android app.
The network is scheduled to carry all 30 regular-season men’s
basketball games, plus a minimum of 14 games for the defending
Atlantic Sun Conference champion women’s basketball team.
In addition to the radio broadcasts of the games, all Stetson
men’s and women’s home games will be available online through
HatterVision, and road conference games can be seen on ASun.TV.
Here are short bios on the voices you will be hearing during
the 2013-14 basketball seasons.
Robbie Aaron
Robbie Aaron, director of broadcasting and
media relations for the Daytona Cubs over
the past four years, returns for his second
season as the play-by-play announcer
for Stetson Men’s Basketball. In 2013, in
addition to broadcasting for the Daytona
Cubs, Aaron joined Len Kasper & Jim
Deshaies on a Chicago Cubs TV broadcast
at Wrigley Field, and did the same in 2012
with the New York Mets and broadcasters Gary Cohen, Ron
Darling and Kevin Burkhardt. In 2011, Aaron not only broadcast all
146 Daytona Cubs games, including the FSL Championship, but
was also honored by being elected to broadcast the 2011 FSL AllStar game in Clearwater for MiLB. Aaron broadcast for the Lehigh
Valley IronPigs in 2010, the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia
Phillies, serving as the studio host and producer on ESPN radio of
the Lehigh Valley. Aaron has also worked for SNY, the TV home of
the New York Mets, WFAN, sports radio 660AM in New York, and
has broadcast in the Cape Cod League for the Harwich Mariners.
Aaron is a 2009 graduate of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania,
and is a native of Port Washington, N.Y., on Long Island.

The Stetson men’s basketball team will be showcased on
ESPN3 a total of nine times during the 2013-14 season, and the
Stetson women’s basketball team will be featured a minimum of
five times via ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app for mobile
devices.
ESPN3 and WatchESPN are available to fans who receive
ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription from
Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV,
Comcast Xfinity TV or Midcontinent Communications, Cablevision
or Cox Communications. The app is available free to download for
Android devices from the Google Play store and Amazon Appstore
and for Apple devices from the App Store, streamed on televisions
via Xbox and Apple TV, as well as online via WatchESPN.com.
Here is a composite schedule of the games where Stetson will
be featured on ESPN3:

Ryan Rouse
No stranger to fans of Stetson Athletics,
Ryan Rouse has been the voice of
Stetson Baseball for the past two seasons
in addition to serving in a play-by-play
role for men’s and women’s soccer and
volleyball games. Last year, he partnered
with Robbie Aaron on broadcasts of
Stetson men’s basketball games, and he
is set to move into the role of play-by-play
voice for the Stetson women’s hoops team this year. A native of
Sarasota, Rouse is a 2009 graduate of UCF, where he majored
in Interpersonal/Organizational Communication. During his time at
UCF, he served as director of broadcasting for Knightcast Student
Radio, and he has also done work for both the Orlando Magic and
Tampa Bay Rays.

#HootyHoo 20

January, 2014

For 40 years I’ve called Stetson and DeLand home in some capacity – student-athlete, assistant
coach, head coach. I am proud and privileged to have the opportunity to be the baseball coach for
the past 35 years at Stetson, my alma mater!
This month my family and I will travel to Dallas for my induction into the American Baseball
Coaches Association Hall of Fame. It’s the highest honor that a college coach can receive. I’m
very humbled by this award, and I realize that I wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity if not for the
efforts and support of many key people. I’d like to take a moment and publicly thank some of them.
First and foremost are my parents. My dad loved baseball and passed the love of the game along
to me at a very young age. Both mom and dad made sacrifices to provide me the opportunity to
pursue my passion. Although I don’t recall playing catch in the backyard with my dad when I was
a kid, both he and mom made sure I got to every practice as well as being in the stands at every
game I played as a youngster.
Later they watched me play college ball as a Hatter and shared my excitement of signing a professional contract with the Kansas
City Royals in 1970. They’re both gone now, dad in ’84 and mom in ’04, but I know they’d be proud of the Hall of Fame induction.
One of the first people I can identify as having made a tremendous impact on my coaching career was Jim Ward, my coach
at Stetson. Coach Glenn Wilkes hired him in the spring of 1968 to turn the program around, and I was lucky enough to be a
member of his first recruiting class. Coach Ward had a tremendous baseball mind. He not only improved our physical skills but
instilled in us an appreciation for the mental aspect and being students of the game. He taught me to think and analyze the
game, not just play it.
Legendary Hall of Fame coach Ron Polk also made an impact upon my career for which I can’t thank him enough. With the
end of my professional career imminent, he offered me a graduate assistant coaching position at Georgia Southern where he
had just accepted the head coaching position. The first year I was there he gave me responsibility of the pitching staff, among
other things. He had confidence in me that, in spite of my age and inexperience, I could handle the job. My initial year in college
coaching culminated with a trip to Omaha and a fifth place finish in the College World Series.
After completing my Master’s degree at Georgia Southern I coached for three years at Apopka High School before returning
to DeLand as coach Ward’s assistant in the fall of 1977. Two years later coach Ward unexpectedly accepted the head coach
position at his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University.
My career here at Stetson would’ve never gotten off the ground without the confidence and support of two Stetson legends
– Dr. Pope Duncan and Dr. Wilkes. Dr. Duncan, who coincidentally was the president at Georgia Southern while I was there,
was now the president at Stetson, and coach Wilkes was the Director of Athletics. When coach Ward departed, both men had
the confidence that I was ready to lead the program, and they offered me the job without opening up the position for a national
search. In the summer of 1979, at the age of 31, I became the head baseball coach at Stetson University!
I’ve always surrounded myself with good people, especially assistant coaches. All these individuals, past and present, are
definitely responsible for the success of the program. I owe a sincere “thank you” to each and every one of them, many of whom
have gone on to head coaching positions on the high school and college level. And, of course, the people most responsible
are the players who have played with passion and a love of the game as well as a love of Stetson University. They all share
this award.
Most importantly I have to thank my family for their love and encouragement during this run. Debbie, Rayni, Mark, Taylor and
Emily have made tremendous sacrifices and have been so supportive along the way. Coaching is a rewarding profession but
tough on the family at times. But they’ve been there for me with unconditional love during the recruiting, long road trips, the wins
and the too many losses. I could never adequately express my love and gratitude for all they’ve done for me and my career.
It’s been an amazing ride at Stetson University, and while it isn’t over yet, I know the end is growing nearer. I’m not one of those
coaches who want to coach until he dies. I have other interests: Taylor and Emily are still young, Debbie loves to travel, and I
love to fish. When the time comes, I want to turn the program over to good hands and still be in good enough health to enjoy
my retirement.
And lastly, to you fans, alums, season ticket holders, and all the members of the Stetson Baseball Family, I want to say “thanks”
for all you’ve contributed over the years to the success and excitement of Stetson Baseball. I hope to see many of you out at
Melching Field in 2014, and especially at our opening game against Ole Miss on Feb. 14. Go Hatters!
Pete Dunn
Stetson University Baseball Head Coach